Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $2,695
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Designed and handcrafted in Brooklyn
Best-ever sounding Grado
Freewheeling dynamics
Minus
The non-removable and not very flexible cable
THE VERDICT
The Grado Labs PS2000e takes the classic Grado sound to new heights, but it won&rsquo;t please everyone.
Grado headphones all have a sound, and they sound like Grados. They&rsquo;re some of the most viscerally dynamic and lively headphones I&rsquo;ve heard, and they&rsquo;re so open and spacious, you never feel like the sound is confined to the space between your ears. The new flagship, the PS2000e, takes the Grado sound to new heights.

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $2,495
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Extraordinary sound quality
Planar magnetic in-ear
Open-back design
Minus
Doesn&amp;rsquo;t block external noise
THE VERDICT
The Audeze LCDi4 sound like no other in-ear or full-size headphones. Audeze has once again radically changed the way we hear music.
I&amp;rsquo;m going to come right out and say it: The Audeze LCDi4 are hands down the best-sounding in-ear headphones I&amp;rsquo;ve heard. They&amp;rsquo;re the most transparent and open, have the flattest tonal balance, and the bass&amp;mdash;OMG&amp;mdash;is deeper and faster than any other in-ears on the planet...

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $399
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Most affordable ever three-way from the designer
Uber comfy
Vivacious sound
Minus
The voluptuous bass might be too much of a good thing
THE VERDICT
The Astell &amp; Kern Michelle brings JH Audio headphone sound down to a new, more affordable price.
Sound &amp;amp; Vision readers probably know about Astell&amp;amp;Kern&amp;rsquo;s portable high-resolution digital audio players. But I&amp;rsquo;m guessing you&amp;rsquo;re less aware of Jerry Harvey Audio&amp;rsquo;s in-ear headphones, which have found favor not only with audiophiles, but also musicians and pro sound engineers who make up a sizeable percentage of Harvey&amp;rsquo;s customer base. The Michelle Limited in-ear headphones from Astell&amp;amp;Kern were designed by Jerry Harvey.

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $599
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Oval planar magnetic design
Easy to drive
Nice and comfy
Minus
Cable lacks phone mic or inline controls
THE VERDICT
Acoustic Research knocked one out of the park with the AR-H1 &amp;mdash; it&rsquo;s a real contender.
Acoustic Research has a long, proud history dating back to 1954 with the introduction of the AR1, the world&rsquo;s first acoustic suspension speaker. But rather than run through a model-by-model inventory of their innovative speakers and the brilliant AR turntable, let&rsquo;s fast-forward to 2018 where the AR&#39;s current owner is based in Hong Kong and they&rsquo;re getting serious about making audiophile headphones. Witness the AR-H1, an ambitious reboot for the brand.

Ti In-Ear Headphones
Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
Be In-Ear Headphones
Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
Mg In-Ear Headphone
Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $99, $199, $299
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Clear sound, great bass
Five-year warranty
Now made in the U.S.
Minus
Tangle-prone cable
No phone controls
THE VERDICT
Periodic Audio&amp;rsquo;s three in-ear headphones&amp;mdash;the Mg, Ti, and Be&amp;mdash;may only differ in the driver material but sound more different than you might expect.
Periodic Audio is a brand-new company that launched with just three in-ear headphones, the Mg (Magnesium), the Ti (Titanium), and the Be (Beryllium), for $99, $199, and $299, respectively. The three headphones look nearly the same, differing only in the color of the earpiece end caps. The Mg and Ti are similar shades of silver, while the Be is gold. The three models&amp;rsquo; 10mm drivers are all mechanically exactly the same but differ in their diaphragm materials&amp;mdash;magnesium, titanium, and beryllium&amp;mdash;so it made sense to look at all three models as a group.

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $799
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Closed-back, planar magnetic design
Made in San Diego, California
Beautifully balanced sound
Minus
Non-standard connectors on the earcups
THE VERDICT
The Aeon are a game changer for MrSpeakers. Their least expensive headphones might be their most accomplished design.
I meet a lot of audiophiles who flat out refuse to give headphones a chance. They go on about the headphones they bought in college when Michael Jackson released Thriller and won&amp;rsquo;t even try the new breed of &amp;rsquo;phones. This one here, the MrSpeakers Aeon, might be the headphones that turn them around. The complete package&amp;mdash;the sound, the shape, the smooth feel of the carbon fiber earcups, the luxuriously thick earpads, and best of all, the price&amp;mdash;might win over even the most curmudgeonly of resistors.

Performance
Sound
It was one of the most galvanizing live experiences of my life. The instant WNEW-FM announced Midnight Oil would be performing live on a flatbed truck on Sixth Avenue in the heart of New York City in front of the Exxon Building around noontime on May 30, 1990 to protest the mishandling of the March 1989 Exxon Valdez oil-spill disaster in Prince William Sound, Alaska, three colleagues and I sprinted the entire length of the two long city blocks from the Stereo Review and Audio offices at 50th and Broadway to get as close as we could. Success! Each of us wound up standing no more than 10 people deep from the flatbed&amp;rsquo;s perch upon our out-of-breath Sixth Avenue arrival.

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $299
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Open-back, planar magnetic design
Solid build quality
Handsome look
Minus
Can sound bright
THE VERDICT
These Tidal Force headphones face stiff competition from other comparably priced planar magnetic designs.
Tidal Force is a brand spanking new headphone company, and at the time I started working on this review, the Wave 5 was their one and only set of headphones. They&amp;rsquo;re off to a good start; build quality is excellent, and the mostly metal design felt great in my hands.

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $999
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Handmade in Germany
Stunning good looks
Best-in-class sound
Minus
Tangle-prone cable
THE VERDICT
The Beyerdynamic Xelento Remotes look, feel, and sound like a true luxury design.
It&amp;rsquo;s a stunningly beautiful design: The Beyerdynamic Xelento Remotes are most definitely a looker. Better yet, their ergonomically balanced design made for a perfect fit in the concha of my ears; these are some of the most comfortable in-ears I&amp;rsquo;ve ever worn. As for the sound, it was spectacular!